Lord Louis Mountbatten, the uncle to Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, rose from the ranks of minor royal to major player in the British monarchy and military. A bold risk-taker, he led the Royal Navy to major victories in World War II and then oversaw India's independence from Britain. But through it all, the power-hungry schemer had his sights on getting as close to the throne as he could, a goal that made him many enemies, inside and outside the Royal Family. Through rarely seen personal letters, we track the milestones of his life, up to his assassination in 1979.